1:06 PM — Hath hell frozen over? Azariah Southworth, Nashville resident and host of the famed Christian youth show The Remix, has publicly announced he is gay.
"This has been a long time coming. I'm in a place where I’m at peace with my faith."

16th April 2008

5:20 PM — The government of Australia is considering whether or not to bring forward measures in next month's Budget that will give gay citizens equal rights in a range of areas.Last year the country's Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) report was presented to the federal parliament listing the 58 laws that need to be changed.Kevin Rudd's Labour party promised reform during last year's elections.

3:00 PM — "Do whatever you want, but do it with a condom," is the message to young gay Brazilians from a new campaign against HIV and AIDS.Government officials have defended targeting gay men, citing statistics that found there are 1.5 million gay men who have sex with men (MSM) aged between 15 and 49 out of a total population of 184 million.The director of the National Programme of HIV and AIDS, Mariangela Simao, said: "These groups are more susceptible to HIV infection."

10:55 AM — The leader of the Roman Catholic Church has spoken out about the sexual abuse of children by priests.Benedict XVI gave a rare insight into his views to reporters accompanying him on his first Papal visit to the United States, which began yesterday.In his comments the pontiff moved to dismiss the suggestion that he links sexual abuse of children with homosexuality.

10:35 AM — Once considered a viable running mate for Republican Presidential hopeful Senator John McCain, a federal jury on Tuesday found 'D.C. Madam' Deborah Jeane Palfrey guilty of money laundering and racketeering for running a prostitution ring.Throughout the trial, Palfrey, 52, maintained that her company, Pamela Martin and Associates escort service, provided legal escort services that catered to adult fantasies from 1993 to 2006.Palfrey, wearing a grey suit and with clasped hands, showed little emotion when the jury found her guilty.

10:20 AM — Canadian actor Luke MacFarlane, who plays the character of Scotty on Brothers and Sisters, has come out in an interview with the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail.Explaining his decision after years of speculation in the press regarding his sexuality he said:"I don't know what will happen professionally ... that is the fear, but I guess I can't really be concerned about what will happen, because it's my truth."

15th April 2008

6:20 PM — Biplob Hossain, a gay refugee from Bangladesh who is seeking asylum in Australia, and Joaquin Ramirez, facing deportation from Canada to El Salvador, have highlighted the plight of gay men who flee their countries to escape persecution.Mr Hossain, 25, moved to Australia on a student visa when he was 19.

6:00 PM — Mormon church officials have agreed to meet with a gay Mormon support group. Affirmation, a group that supports the Mormon LGBT community, were invited to meet with Fred Riley, commissioner of Family Services for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

11:20 AM — A wide-ranging poll of Roman Catholics in the US has found that two thirds of them feel the Church is out of touch with today's world.Just two years ago, when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope, 52% of American Catholics held that view: now the figure is 62%.The figures come ahead of a Papal visit to the United States.Pope Benedict XVI, who has been outspoken in his opposition to equal rights for LGBT people, will visit Washington and New York.

11:06 AM — Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans activists are urging that a 14-year-old boy who is to stand trial for the murder of his classmate be dealt with by a juvenile court.Lawrence King, who self-identified as gay and wore feminine clothing, was shot in the head during a class on February 12th, allegedly by classmate Brandon McInerney, 14, at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, California.McInerney has been charged as an adult and could face up to 24 years to life for the murder charge.

10:50 AM — It's been over 50 years since The Seven Year Itch was released but the sale of a newly discovered Marilyn Monroe sex tape proves that some folks will still pay top dollar to look up the bombshell's skirt.A New York City collector and businessman just paid a cool $1.5 million (£762,000) for the silent, black and white sex film of the famous blonde orally servicing an unidentified man for 15 minutes.But unlike today's celebrity sex tapes, Monroe's will remain under wraps for now.

10:30 AM — Following controversial remarks saying some working-class Americans are "bitter" and "cling to guns or religion", Democratic Presidential contender Barack Obama is facing a 20% drop against rival Hillary Clinton in a new Pennsylvania poll.In the new American Research Group poll, Clinton now leads Obama 57% to 37%. Previously, the two Democratic candidates were tied at 45% each in the statewide poll.On Monday, Illinois Senator Barack Obama continued defending remarks made at a private fundraiser in San Francisco.

1:37 AM — Conservative media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi has declared victory in the Italian general election as he looks set to begin his third term as prime minister after beating socialist Walter Veltroni.In a phone call to Rai TV, Signor Berlusconi said of his victory: "I'm moved, I feel a great responsibility. We have difficult months ahead that will require great strength."Berlusconi's right wing alliance is expected to have won 45.9 per cent of the vote, compared to 39.1 per cent for the left.

14th April 2008

5:00 PM — The leader of the Anglican church in Australia has backed a decision by a secondary school to bar its male pupils from bringing their boyfriends to the annual formal dance.A handful of Year 12 (Sixth Form) students at Anglican Grammar School in Brisbane had expressed their desire to bring their gay partners to the end of year ball.The Most Revd Phillip Aspinall is both president of the school's council and Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane.

4:40 PM — An official at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has revealed that they have been given "a guarantee for the safety of delegations, press and fans issued by the President of Serbia," covering this year's Eurovision contest in Belgrade.Human rights activists have raised concerns that Western fans visiting Serbia will be targeted by fascist elements in the country.Gay men are a particular target, according to the president of the fascist organisation Obraz.

3:20 PM — Exit polls from last weekend's Italian general election are predicting a small majority for former Prime Minister, businessman and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing group.The 71-year-old has had an interesting campaign, at one point mocking his left-wing opponents for not having many attractive female candidates.The public have been less than enchanted, going to the polls to determine who will lead Italy's 63rd government since 1945.

2:40 PM — The European Commission has been urged by several leading groups in the European Parliament to implement a discrimination directive that covers sexual orientation.There have been strong indications from Commission President Jose Manual Barroso and employment, social affairs and equal opportunities commissioner Vladimir Spidla that the directive may focus on disability only.Article 13 of the Amsterdam Treaty requires EU member states to introduce legislation on discrimination.

13th April 2008

1:30 AM — The Republican governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he will fight against any bans on gay marriage. He surprised delegates at the San Diego at the convention of the Log Cabin Republicans, the nation's largest gay Republican group.Mr Schwarzenegger has previously vetoed attempts to legalise gay marriage but said he will oppose a state wide vote for a constitutional ban on gay marriage: "I will always be there to fight against that."

PinkNews covers religion, politics, entertainment, finance, and community news for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in the UK and worldwide. Founded to produce broadsheet quality journalism for the LGBT community, we cover politics to theology in an intelligent manner.